It Follows (2014)

It Follows (2014)
Written By: JM
Edited By: Grave Reviews Staff

Film Information

Director: David Robert Mitchell
Producer: Rebecca Green, Laura D. Smith, et. al.
Screenwriter: David Robert Mitchell
Date Released: May 17, 2014

Cast:
Maika Monroe as Jay Height
Keir Gilchrist as Paul Bolduan
Jake Weary as Hugh / Jeff Redmond
Danial Zovatto as Greg Hannigan
Olivia Lucardi as Yara David

Rating = 2.5/5 Graves

***May contain some spoilers***

Synopsis

When Hugh (Jake Weary) hooks up with teenager Jay (Maika Monroe), he informs Jay that he had passed a curse onto her in which an evil entity (that strangely takes the form of different walking half-naked people) will follow her anywhere she goes. If this entity catches Jay, the entity will kill her. If Jay dies, the entity will go back to haunting Hugh. In order to the stop the entity from haunting her, Jay must have sex with someone else and make sure the curse is passed on to the next person.

The Gore Factor

The gore in It Follows comes in short bursts and are far apart from one another because it relies mostly on the thrill of not getting caught and killed by the walking entity. It is quite fun when you are anticipating whether someone walking in the background could be the entity. One notable scene is when there is a huge pool that becomes red with luscious blood towards the end of the film.

The Grave Review

It Follows (2014) introduces a new monster that doesn’t need CGI or prosthetics, but rather portrays real people as something to be terrified. Most of the film’s exterior scenes are shot in wide lenses so the viewer is able to see what’s happening at a distance. There is some significance to this artistic choice to shoot the scene in this way in order to emphasize various points within the film. At any point within the film, it is unclear who the killer entity is and as the viewer, you are often paying attention to the background where the entities lurk. As a result, this distraction creates a busy environment that prevents your full undivided attention of what is occurring on the foreground of the scene.

There’s a pretty creative scene in which Jay and her friends (who can’t see the entity at all) are seated in the grass as Hugh, her predecessor in the curse of being followed by the entity, takes the time to explain the mechanics of the curse once again. As he’s talking, he gets freaked out when he spots a girl approaching, just because he thinks it might be the entity walking up to them to kill Jay and him. These small moments create a feeling of anticipation and excitement throughout the film.

Maika Monroe ‘s performance as the lead actress really stood out. She had this youthful look and appeal that Jamie Lee Curtis had when she did Halloween (1978). Monroe exemplified someone who not only faced challenge but also developed and overcame obstacles through the film.

Throughout half of the film, you will have to sit through some of the more mundane parts of Jay’s life which can get tedious after a while. A lot of its moments feel too simple, which causes the fun of guessing when the killer entity will strike. Of course, you still get curious how they’re going to be able to stop the entity (or if they will) but it just feels like it could have explored a little bit further as to how it was going to utilize such a unique monster.

It Follows (2014) has interestingly become a film of debate in respect to what the “entity” in this film stands for. Is it sexually transmitted diseases? Is it simply the destruction of youth? Well, whatever “it” was, we could have used some more of it. To have a sequel for this film would be interesting, however, It Follows did not create enough buzz upon its release and as such, a sequel is unlikely.

For the foregoing reasons, Grave Reviews gives It Follows (2014), two and one-half graves out of five graves.

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